In conversation: children's author Cheryl Leavy on motherhood, culture and connection

Cheryl Leavy (Bachelor of Arts ’99) is from the Kooma and Nguri Nations in western and central Queensland. She is an award-winning poet and writer who loves to tell stories that celebrate First Nations culture, history and Country. Yanga Mother is her first picture book.

 

Dr Melanie Saward is a proud Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman. She an author, academic and publishing all-rounder. She is a lecturer of Australian Studies in the UQ School of Communication and Arts , and was appointed coordinator of BlackWords in July 2024.

 

Her research looks at Indigeneity in romantic comedy fiction with a focus on diversity, intersectionality and the Australian publishing industry. Her debut novel, Burn, was published in 2023, and her second novel, Love Unleashed, in 2024. Her most recent book is A Good Kind of Trouble, a young adult novel which she co-wrote with Brooke Blurton.